‘Liberty and Justice for All’: SoCal Protesters Stand Against ICE Raids

(CAMARILLO, Calif) — A ripple of tension spread through the crowd when a former Marine stepped forward, his voice firm, his body squared against a wall of National Guard troops. Unlike the guards, his face was uncovered.

“You cowards, walk away,” he shouted at the line of men. “You do not have to stand here. You are on the wrong side of history. Ten years from now, your face will be shown.”

One guard raised his rifle toward him, but the man didn’t flinch. 

“Wow, you want to shoot Americans? This is what you do for a living? Are you proud?” he howled, his voice cracking with fury. “I was a Marine. I didn’t follow illegal orders. I wouldn’t.”

You have shields against Americans? You are federal. You’re not an army, you’re fucking ICE for God’s sake.

Scratching his pale arm and short white hair, he gestured to the riot shields facing the street. “You have shields against Americans? You are federal. You’re not an army, you’re fucking ICE for God’s sake.”

A member of the National Guard approached him and muttered something indistinguishable — to which the former Marine said: “My son’s a captain right now in the Army, a base commander. Do you think we want you in our community? We don’t want you here, period.”

The crowd roared in agreement.

Hundreds of protesters had flooded the streets outside the ICE office in Camarillo, Calif., shutting down the road in front of the facility just days after the city made headlines when an immigration sweep in the nearby strawberry fields turned deadly. In that raid, over 200 agricultural workers were detained. Per the LA Times, one of the Glass House Farms employees, 56-year-old Jaime Alanis Garcia, died shortly after suffering a broken neck and skull after falling in an attempt to escape agents.

But for many at the July 24 protest, the raid wasn’t a new story. It was the latest chapter in a long history of fear, separation, and struggle. 

The peaceful protesters held bilingual signs and dual flags — half Mexican, half American. [Credit: Valeria Garcia]

Lupita Morales, 21, stood near the front line, flanked by fellow protesters holding bilingual signs and dual flags — half Mexican, half American. 

“My parents are both immigrants. They’re citizens now, thankfully, but that doesn’t change the fact that they left everything they knew and sacrificed so much,” she told The Click.  

When asked about the ICE raid in the fields that became fatal, a week prior, she said it “broke my heart. It’s like all these hardworking people can’t catch a break.”

She attended the protest not just for herself. 

“It was important for me to show up to as many protests as possible, not only to stand up for my friends and family, but for all those who feel like they have no voice,” Morales added. “I’m also just so angry at how the world is treating my people because at the end of the day, we are all human.”

Looking down the line of soldiers, some with their hands on their weapons and others with their arms crossed behind their backs, she said: “I want them to open their eyes and actually acknowledge the division that is happening because of this corrupt system. I need them to do something — anything.”

Behind her, a young woman held up an American flag scrawled with the words, “We the people of the USA stand for liberty and justice for all.” Another protester shouted through a bullhorn: “Chinga la migra!” (“Fuck ICE”)A few rows back, a hand-painted sign read: “Melt ICE.” And one read in bright, bold letters: “Que se largue Trump.” (“Trump should go away.”) People of all ages and nationalities rallied together.

Why are they targeting all these hardworking people? They come here for a better life for themselves and their families, not as a threat.

Nearby, Veronica Garcia held her 13-year-old son close. In his hand, he clutched a handful of sunflowers, their yellow petals bright against the dusty heat as he waved them proudly in the air.

“I brought him here to teach him,” the school teacher of over 30 years said. “To show him what justice looks like, and what it costs.”

Born in Mexico, she’s been a U.S. citizen for the majority of her life, but the mother-of-two said the fear never really goes away. She shared, “Us brown people have to work twice as hard, and even then, they treat us like we don’t belong.”

She adjusted the strap on her purse and looked around. “We do belong. My son belongs. And I want him to know that.”

A young woman held up an American flag scrawled with the words, “We the people of the USA stand for liberty and justice for all.” [Credit: Valeria Garcia]

But some locals stood in solidarity with the protesters, dishing to the Camarillo Acorn Newspaper how “cruel” the recent ICE raids in the area have been. Gloria Miele told the outlet, “These arbitrary, vio­lent and cruel ab­ductions could happen to any one of us.”

Still, the marches kept moving. They circled the block in waves —  chanting, singing, waving flags and banners. Some wore t-shirts that read “Melt ICE.” Others simply stood in silence, faces red with emotion, eyes fixed on the line of troops.

Among them, Morales stayed rooted.

“I don’t feel scared when the National Guard is standing across from me,” she said, her voice unwavering. “But I do wonder what is going through my mind. I wonder why they are choosing to be on that side of history.”

With disbelief in her voice, she went on, “Why are they targeting all these hardworking people? They come here for a better life for themselves and their families, not as a threat. Immigrants make America great… I need them to see us.”

For both Morales and Garcia, the protest wasn’t about just the Glass House Farms raid or one policy. It was about being heard and using their voices to “stand up for the voiceless.” Their stories, and those of many like them, echoed through the crowd. It bounced off riot shields, past the ICE holding facility, and into the world.

And above it all, the sunflowers waved.